Suzanne M. Wallach
PsyD, LMFT
Executive Director
Specialties: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), complex & high-acuity presentations, trauma, personality & mood disorders, women’s and perinatal mental health, and highly discreet care for high-profile individuals and families.
Related services: Comprehensive DBT Program · DBT Skills Groups · Private & Discreet Care
Dr. Suzanne Wallach is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the owner and Executive Director of Suzanne Wallach & Associates and SoCal DBT. She specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), complex and high-acuity clinical presentations, trauma, personality and mood disorders, and women’s mental health, with a growing specialization in perinatal mental health. Dr. Wallach also has extensive experience providing highly discreet, confidential care to high-profile individuals and families for whom privacy, flexibility, and discretion are paramount.
Dr. Wallach received her B.A. in Psychology from Ottawa University in 2002, her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Phillips Graduate University in 2008, and her Doctorate in Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2014.
Her clinical approach integrates behavioral and psychodynamic therapies and is highly individualized to each client. In addition to DBT and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dr. Wallach draws from Object Relations and Attachment Theory, existential psychotherapy, and trauma-focused interventions. She has extensive experience treating individuals with emotion dysregulation, complex trauma, personality disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, substance use and behavioral addictions, and eating disorders, relationship difficulties, and other complex or treatment-refractory presentations.
Dr. Wallach is extensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and serves as the team leader of SoCal DBT’s comprehensive DBT program. She completed a two-year intensive training in DBT for independent practitioners through Dr. Marsha Linehan’s Behavioral Tech in Seattle, Washington, with Lizz Dexter-Mazza, PhD, and Jennifer Sayrs, PhD.
Her advanced DBT training also includes Providing Effective DBT Skills Groups with Patricia Gieselman, LMFT; Optimizing Eating Disorder Treatments with DBT with Amy Kalasunas, LPCC; and DBT for Parents, Couples, and Families with Alan Fruzzetti, PhD, of McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In 2021, Dr. Wallach completed intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children (DBT-C) with Francheska Perepletchikova, PhD, and Kimberly Vale, LCSW-R. Her work encompasses DBT across the lifespan, including treatment of adults, adolescents and children, as well as work with parents, couples and families.
Dr. Wallach has a particular clinical interest in women’s mental health during pregnancy, postpartum, and throughout the broader perinatal period. She is a professional member of Postpartum Support International (PSI) and is currently completing advanced training toward Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C). She also has personal experience with the IVF process and enjoys working with women enduring it and the associated ups and downs.
Drawing upon her extensive background in DBT, Dr. Wallach integrates evidence-based perinatal mental health treatment with DBT strategies to help women navigate the significant emotional and psychological changes that can accompany pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum adjustment, and the transition to motherhood. Her approach is particularly well suited to women experiencing perinatal and postpartum anxiety or depression, intense emotions, difficulty tolerating uncertainty or distress, relationship changes, identity shifts, and challenges adjusting to motherhood. Treatment may incorporate DBT skills in mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness while remaining individualized to each woman’s circumstances and needs.
Dr. Wallach is also an experienced trauma therapist. She trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in 2012 with Andrew Leeds, PhD, of Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute, and is an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist. This certification reflects advanced clinical experience and consultation beyond completion of basic EMDR training.
Dr. Wallach has also completed training in Prolonged Exposure for PTSD and trauma with Lata McGinn, PhD, and Lauren Bonavitacola, PsyD, of Cognitive & Behavioral Consultants, as well as Levels 1 and 2 of the Trauma Resiliency Model.
Dr. Wallach completed her pre-licensure clinical training at the LA Free Clinic and CalFAM Counseling Center in Encino, followed by three years at The Maple Counseling Center in Beverly Hills, a respected psychodynamic training center. In 2014, she completed the Psychoanalytic Center of California’s Adult Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program.
Prior to establishing her private practice, Dr. Wallach served as a staff therapist at an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment center in Beverly Hills and at the Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. In these settings, she worked with highly complex and high-acuity cases, including substance use disorders, behavioral addictions, treatment-refractory mood disorders, personality disorders, and co-occurring clinical conditions. She also facilitated Relapse Prevention, Sobriety Maintenance, and process groups.
Today, Dr. Wallach brings this breadth of experience to both her individual clinical work and her leadership of SoCal DBT, providing sophisticated, evidence-based and highly individualized treatment for clients and families with complex needs.
Dr. Wallach is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA), and Postpartum Support International (PSI).
